SCHENECTADY, NY (NEWS10) – People in Schenectady experienced some delays during their Thursday morning commute because of road closures.

The corner of Strong and Schenectady Streets is where heavy equipment is needed to bring down a dilapidated three-story apartment building. The property at 543 Schenectady Street has been abandoned for around three years according to Mayor Gary McCarthy.

Before Jackson Demolition could start the process, Schenectady Police donned protective suits to protect against bedbugs as they went inside to check for anyone that might still be in there.

Just minutes later, bricks and dust were flying everywhere as the demolition crew started taking the building apart chunk by chunk, kind of like a real life game of reverse-Tetris.

They’re working their way from the back of the building to the front in order to control which way the building falls, if it does.

Mayor McCarthy says the building is being demolished because on Wednesday some of the building’s structural braces blew out into the street causing some bricks to come loose, making it a structural hazard and the city decided it needed to come down.

Firefighters are using water to keep the dust from the old, crumbling bricks from clouding the air.

By the end of the day when all the dust settles, this lot here at 543 Schenectady Street could be completely clear of both building, and brick.